Kokenis in control against N. Stars
Saturday brought St. Charles North's turn to learn what 17 other teams have found out this season: Hinsdale Central guard Toni Kokenis seems in total control on a basketball court.
Kokenis scored 21 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, dished 5 assists and had 3 steals in the Red Devils' 47-36 victory over the North Stars in Hinsdale.
"Toni is an amazing player," Red Devils coach Morgan Kasperek said of her junior point guard. "I feel like I say this every night. She knows when it's her time to go, and she does a great job doing that. ... She even knows what plays to call and what's open."
"She's a good player," St. Charles North coach Katie Sauber added. "There's not a game where she's not a good player."
The Red Devils (18-0), ranked second by the Daily Herald, took a 25-18 lead over No. 9 St. Charles North at halftime, but the North Stars (11-5) came charging out of the locker room to take a 26-25 lead on a Kelsey Smith basket with 3:54 to play in the third quarter.
"We came out a little slow in the second half and missed some easy layups," Kokenis said. "We started moving the ball better and playing better defense."
The North Stars didn't score again for the next 9 1/2 minutes as the Red Devils went on a 13-0 run.
"We weren't swinging the ball well enough," Sauber said. "We needed to get that ball inside when we could. It just wasn't happening for us. A few unforced turnovers, and it ended up being the change in the game. That's what happens. We need to put our fourth quarter together."
Kokenis scored 9 points during the run and assisted Adabelle Ekechukwu on the other 4. Ekechukwu finished with 10 points and 5 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Red Devils senior Katie Delaney stifled Smith, a 6-foot-4 center who will play at Michigan State next season, despite giving up 6 inches. Smith scored 10 points and had 5 rebounds.
"Katie Delaney did a great job," Kokenis said. "She's an amazing defender, and all the credit goes to her for limiting Kelsey, who's a great player."
"They did a fine job," Sauber added. "Unfortunately, Kelsey's shots underneath weren't falling. It was just one of those nights. A different night maybe it could've been a different outcome."